IBM launches technology to track medications
IBM will be launching an electronic pedigree, ePedigree system, to help the pharmaceutical industry combat drug counterfeiting. The electronic pedigree system will track medications through the supply chain until they reach consumers. The system uses RFID tags, or radio-frequency identification, to track drug packages, particularly fake ones. The ePedigree system, apart from battling counterfeits, will also keep track of expiration dates and batch numbers in case a drug is recalled. California's ePedigree law requires a history for any medication distributed in the state.
Dell introduces virtual path to Linux on desktop
Dell, Inc. will try to push the open-source Linux operating system into the corporate-desktop environment by using virtualization, which will enable alternative Linux operating systems to function alongside Microsoft's Windows systems. Dell representatives at the Moscone Center convention site demonstrated how Windows and Linux could function on the same desktop using an open-source hypervisor. Dell's attempts at virtualization accompany news of its plans to ship Dell desktop and notebook computers with open-source Ubuntu Linux operating systems to Europe. Other Dell models with Ubuntu have been on sale in the U.S. for a few months now.
Microsoft hires EA executive to run Xbox Live
Microsoft Corp. has hired John Schappert, another executive for Electronic Arts, Inc., to help support the Xbox group. Schappert, an executive vice president at EA, will now join Microsoft as its corporate vice president of Live software and services, a part of the Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business family. He will be responsible for activities related to Xbox Live, a service popular among subscribers who play games against each other online and buy content such as TV shows and arcade games. Xbox Live, a part of the Xbox business, has more than 7 million users, 220 million downloads, and 45 million arcade games.
